Devine Rebel | BrewDog

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A - Dark reddish brown with a reddish tan head that just went away. No lacing in the pint glass.

S - Malty, cereal and sweet alcohol

T - alcohol and bitter followed by malty coffee/bittersweet chocolate

M - For the smell and initial taste I expected more but it flows away rather quickly leaving only a mild bitter after taste

D - not so much

I like beer to have flavor and be easy drinking. This has the flavor but the bitter is just over my limit so I would only enjoy this on occasion. Not a bad beer by any means, but I have had better (for me at least).

Poured dark mahogany with a small, thick creamy off-white head. Laced on one side. Sherry and malt nose, heavy in the dried fruits, with a good helping of brown sugar. Close to candied fruit. Slick, viscous mouthfeel with a long, sticky finish. Oaked flavor. Strong malt and alcohol notes, again with a sherry-like character. Some spicy, piney malt, but easily dominated by the caramel malt. Some toffee and vanilla, but not much or consistent to expect. The alcohol is not hidden, but right there, giving it an appertif quality. Its drinkable, but not in large quantities.

Pours a slightly hazy deeb brown with a very small light brown head that thins quickly. Nose is a bit boozy, but not bad for over 12%. Some light malty and sweet notes shine through though.

Not what I was expecting at all. This thing is nice, light smooth and creamy body has a little bit of syrupyness to it but not bad at all. On the finish there are some like oaky notes from the barrels. It's a nice hint but not too in your face. Booze is present but again, not very in your face. I know this is a single-hop brew, not sure on the variety but it balances this malt-bomb out fairly well, you can get a slight floral note on the finish.

A really good beer, slightly pricy but worth it if you like barleywines!

Pours a hazy copper color with a half-finger cream-colored head. The head recedes into a wispy layer on top leaving decent lacing.

Smells of sticky caramel malts with good amounts of toffee and lighter amounts of sugar-coated medium fruit - pears mostly. As the beer warms the booziness increases a bit with hints of bourbon.

Tastes very good. Smooth and thick caramel malt flavors kick things off with toffee undertones. Midway through the sip light amounts of medium fruit flavors enter into things - pears as with the aroma but now with hints of dark cherries. Near the end of the sip the booze comes out a bit along with well-integrated vanilla flavors from the barrels. The ending is on the sweet side.

Mouthfeel is good. It's got a nice thickness with smooth carbonation.

Drinkability is also good. I didn't have a problem finishing my glass and could have another.

Overall I thought the barrel influence in this beer came out very nicely in the flavor but still didn't smooth things out as much as some better versions of the style. Worth a shot.

(Served in a snifter)
Bottled 07/05/09
A- This beer pours a dense murky deep brown body with a garnet-red hue at the base. There is a thin film of big bubbles that soon fades.

S- The nice mix of toffee and toasted oak balance well and are rich.

T- The toffee is more rich and luscious than in the nose with some nice caramel flavors in the finish. It balances with the soft oak and some more toasted wood flavors come through as it opens. There is a fruity ester note in the finish with some peat hints and green herbaceous wood notes. There is a bit of a mineral water taste in the middle as it opens.

M- The medium mouthfeel has a hint of fizz and some soft alcohol heat that grows as the beer warms.

O- This beer has a Traquair House yeast character along with the great English barleywine character and a nice mellow oak flavor that blends in to the toffee. It does get a bit watery in flavor as it opens up but it is still a wonderful beer.

Poured from bottle into CBS snifter glass. Pour looks like liquified caramel or toffee. Super cloudy, auburn brown color. Pretty much no head at all, but not too surprising for 13.8% ABV. The site says 12.5, but the bottle says 13.8. Smell- rough boozy raisins, caramel, fennel alcohol. had this on tap about a yr ago, I remember a lot of dark fruits, but I'm not getting much aroma at all this time with the bottle version. Taste- WHOA. Huge sweetness comes in the form of caramel and toffee, and a surprising tight carbonation that I wouldnt guess was even here by the appearance pierces my tongue. Maybe a little bit of green apple tartness, but it seems the profile is just dominated by sweetness and caramel/raisins. This is closer to an old ale than anything, and could have probably aged for many many more years. I could see putting this one away fro 10+ yrs. The booze is really rough on this one, and thinking it might really mellow over time. Overall, this is a pretty big beer, an aggressive nightcap in which to watch my Astros get the shit kicked out of them yet again...

Beer poured a deep brown body, fairly clear. Head was thin and tan with solid lacing on the glass. Citrus, caramel and a bit boozy in the nose. Taste has solid grapefruit notes, citrus and a deep caramel, roasted malt taste. Strong abv comes through but a solid beer overall.

330ml bottle, 13.8% ABV, brewed on the Brewdog side of this partnership of (mostly) self-proclaimed 'devine' rebels...

This beer pours a cloudy dark dishwater brown colour, with one finger of tight pale beige head, which leaves a low ring of lace around the glass in its wake. It smells of slightly toasty, strong toffee/caramel/treacle/butterscotch soaked in strong, yet yielding warming alcohol, and bitter herbal hops. The taste is strong bitter herbal, citrus hops up front, quickly ensconced in a heavy morass of boozy creamy caramel and toffee, flavours that are complex but not overly differentiated. The carbonation is sedate, the body full, nearly overbearing, and smooth like an Alfredo sauce attacking your arteries. It finishes still large and in charge, a squint-inducing booziness easily tempered by the sweet multifaceted malt and now understated, but still somewhat bitter hops.

As English an affair as having it made in aberrant Scotland, to be sure, but for different reasons - the bitterness hints at American aspersions, and the ABV - noticeable, but not as much as it should be - hints at something more alien altogether. And the barrel treatment - 25% seems about right, just leaving well enough alone. It's weird to say, but this behemoth is strangely easy to drink, or rather sip, until the mere 11 ounces and change are done, and then, well, so are you...

Looks fine enough, opaque brownish rust color, not much head but for a beer this old and this big, no surprise or worry.

A total knockout, aroma-wise. Smells just like a good barleywine ought to. Big lumbering gobs of vanilla, toffee, molasses, apple cider, and smaller hints of smoke and just a touch of the Scottish whisky barrels that 25% of this was aged in. Man.

Taste-wise it's pretty candy-like, a bunch of caramel and toffee up front, a healthy dose of vanilla, hints of wood, whisky, apple, tobacco, raisin and alcohol. Something kind of bitterly pungent/pungently bitter in the finish, almost sour or lemony, keeps me from liking it more. Still quite the treat.

Beautiful texture, just as it should be: gooey, chewy, thick, but still having enough carbonation to give it some energy. Luscious, silky, and so many more adjectives...

So what's the problem here? Not much that I can tell. That weird bitter/astringent/lemon thing at the back of the sip is probably the only thing keeping this from going over the top into total insane greatness, but it gets so close, and was very much worth the price. Wouldn't expect any less from BrewDog or Mikkeller.

Bottle from ken in the U.K. Pours mahogoney brown, with off-white head. Aroma is malty, and doesn't revel what the taste will. At first, hoppy, and a different than usual hop here. Then the barleywine taste kicks in, its balanced, and the alcohol is hidden until the end. Lacey and nicely drinkable.Above average mouthfeel.

Devine Rebel pours a reddish copper color. It's hazy, and looks crimson when held to light. There's very little to discuss in terms of a head - there isn't one. Bummer. A few bubbles collected on the surface, but dissipated quickly. Lacing was extremely light. Maybe a little too much alcohol.

The nose is a little short on aromatics. Up front, caramel malts smell sweet. No question about the base here. Dark fruit notes are in the mix. Raisin and fig are the most notable. There's a hint of whisky, but it's nice and restrained. It smells secondary and complementary. I believe only 25% of this was barrel aged. Smells about right. Alcohol is there, but doesn't smell too strong. It's not bad, just needs a little more strength.

The flavor is rather tremendous. I'm really impressed. I wasn't expecting this after smelling it. It is sweet initially, and has a really nice caramel/toffee flavor. Dark fruit flavors of raisin and fig work nicely into the overall mix. The barrel-aging left a bit of a whisky flavor, but it is very subtle. I actually think 25% was the perfect number. Not too little, not too much. There's a bit of leather and tobacco looming. Alcohol is there, but is surprisingly tame for 12%+. That's impressive. Finishes sweet with a tangy dark fruit taste.

Devine Rebel is a little too light in terms of body. It's medium at best, and really should feel bigger. Carbonation is definitely light. It nearly feels smooth, but needs just a bit more body. Drinkability is good for such a sizeable English Barleywine. It's tasty and goes down rather easy. Beware the hefty abv though!

I'm rather impressed with this collaboration between Mikkeller and BrewDog. Both can be rather extreme, and I didn't know what to expect. The flavor here is really nice. The barrel-aging adds a nice touch overall, and is present in just the right proportion. Yeah, the nose and body could use a little work, but this is damn tasty stuff. I don't know if bottles are still out on shelves, but if you see one...pick it up!

A: A near mahagony, deep brown/red hue. No head to speak of.
S: A nice blend of booze, sugar, oak, very malty and sweet.
T: Malts present up front, along with some sticky sugar and some spice. The whisky comes into play at the end, but is not overpowering. Dark fruits also present, almost like a Belgian Dark. Well done here.
M: Little to no carbonation and a tad of a boozy burn. Very sticky.
D: Despite the really high ABV, this is actually pretty drinkable. It's tasty enough to sip on for a long while and not heavy enough where you find yourself not wanting another.

A: pours a hazy mahogany into my duvel tulip with a finger of dark khaki head and leaves no lacing.

S: dark roasted malts, scotch, caramel godiva liqueur.

T: dark malt and scotch whiskey over power the taste profile. Among the subtle notes there are; prunes, dates, vanilla, caramel and some woodsy tones. Oak and leather lingers. The alcohol is really strong.

MF: medium body and extremely hot. Not very effervescent and a little dry.

D: good for sipping but I wish I had put some age on it. Complex, I'll be getting one to age if I can.

Batch 243; Bottled on 07/05/09! Served from bottle into a Duck-Rabbit snifter. Poured copper with a half finger off-white head that subsided to a minimal amount very quickly. Maintained decent lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, caramel, and dark fruit. The flavor was of sweet malt, big caramel, dark fruit, and a very slight hop bitter aftertaste that turned into a caramel sweetness upon sitting. It had a medium feel on the palate with mild carbonation. Overall this was a pretty damn good brew. The flavor on this one was very smooth and easy to go down. This was helped mainly by the big sweetness aspect present. The aroma was also very nice. For this style, this was pretty good. A must try if you get the chance!

Pours a fairly flat looking chocolate brown color with a minimal off white head that managed to settle into a light ring. The aroma is malty with some brown sugar notes, fig, red grapes, and oak. The taste is of toasted bready malt, caramel, burnt sugar, prunes, and oak with hints of the whisky. There is also an earthy characteristic that I can't quite place. The booze is noticable in the flavor. Moderate feel with soft carbonation, the champagne yeast keeps the malt body in check though the brew is still quite sticky. A big flavorful brew, a bit sticky and boozy but good. Nice flavor range.

RE-TASTED August 2011 - Still retains most characteristics discussed below. Has lost some of its youthful fruit and bright character. Personally, it would appear that I prefer this brew "younger" rather than older.

This is a complex, layered beer with tons of character. Sweet and thick and flavorful and complex enough to sip. Yet, complex enough with sufficient bitter finish to hold up and be pleasant with foods of strong flavors. Lots of cooked compote fruit flavors. There is nothing subtle in this one - it hits you over the head with layers of strong and intense flavors - carmel, toffee, espresso, creamed coffee, peanut brittle and maple, and all with a whiskey undertone. Coffee and dark chocolate flavors come out as it sits in in the glass.

Only shortcoming could be that it might be "too sweet" in the front palate, but I like it a lot. A nice experience and one of the most intense flavored brews I've tried. (Note in 2011: much of the initial "sweet character" is gone 2 years later, replaced by a burnt carmel/burnt honey/coffee charachter.)

A: Dark cranberry pour with blood orange highlights to be seen glistening around the glass edges from passing light. The head is frothy underneath with a soapy covering which all lapses rather quickly. No lacing is observed on the glass with a near polished surface on the drink within a minute after the initial pour.

S: The nose is blunt, fueled with alcohol compliments of the 12.1%. Whiskey laced apples, with booze soaked grains are dominant with not much else being able to sneak through due to the alcohol fumes. Think prison hooch with fermented fruit and strong alcohol contention.

T: Whiskey and toasted caramel apples best sums things up flavor wise in a nutshell. Boozy rum raisin, plums, with caramel and a fermented fruitiness keeps things warm from the alcohol. At room temp indications of lacquer become evident.

M: The mouthful was vinous, warm and spicy with a low effervesce. Full bodied, very creamy with a nice fade of caramel raisin upon the swallow.

D: While it drinks fairly easy for 12.1% don't let this fool you, it will eventually catch up to you. Definitely a intermitted sipper, one at a time sample but overall a generally good experience.